One of the problems that encounters desalination industry is the fouling that takes place due to the poor quality of the sea water received, especially when it rains. In such a situation, the sea water reaches the desalination plant having high turbidity. Chitosan was tested as a coagulant in the removal of the turbidity of sea water to replace inorganic coagulants having hazardous effects. Jar test was performed to test some factors that may affect the coagulation process. The factors tested were dose of coagulant (0-370 mg/L), initial pH (2-11), type of coagulant (chitosan versus metal coagulants), and the chitosan solvent. Chitosan's turbidity removal efficiency was found to be greater than ferrous sulfate and comparable to that of alum. While most researches emphasize the use of chitosan in acidic or neutral media, it worked well in the alkaline pH. The highest turbidity removal efficiency of 97.5% was obtained at initial pH of 8.1. The optimum dose was found to be 18 mg/L Chitosan dissolved in HCl was found to perform better than that dissolved in acetic acid. Comparable turbidity removal efficiencies were obtained using alum and chitosan. However, much higher doses were used when using alum which implies higher cost and increase of residual aluminum concentration in treated water. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.